Knife for harvesters, mowers, &amp;c.



No. 664,670. Patanted Doc. 25, I900. H. OLDHAII.

KNIFE FOR HARVESTERS, IOWERS, .6.

(Applimtion filed July 17, 1900.)

(lo Iodol.)

A 770/?NE YS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEBSOHEL OLDHAM, OF ORLEANS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOROE ONE-HALF JAMES OLDHAM,OF LEIPS IC, INDIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,670, dated December85, 1900. Application fled July 17,1900. serial No. 28,884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'L-HERSCHEL OLDHAM,a citizen of the United States, anda residentof Orleans, in the county of Orange and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and Improved Knife for Harvesters, Mowers, and LikeMachines, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description.

My invention relates to the construction of 1c knives or cutters forharvesters, reapers, mowers, lawn-mowers, and like machines.

The purpose of the invention is to provide an endless or chain knife andmeans for attaching such a knife to machines of the type mentioned.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth,

and pointed out in the claim. a Reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings, forminga partof this specification,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts inall the figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of a casing ready for attachment to amachine in which the improved knife is employed. Fig. 2 isa horizontalsection taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is atransverse section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, andFig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section through the lower portion ofthe easing at'the front and through aportion of the knife.

The knife B is an endless or a chain knife,

5 and consists of links I) and blades b',.located one between each twolinks, the links being recessed to-receive the blades and the bladesbeing pivotally attached to the links through the medium of pins 12*,which are not riveted,

0 so that the pins may be readily removed, if necessary. The blades bare triangular and are connected at their bases with the links. Theblades are properly beveled at their side edges to produce sharpcutting-surfaces.

5 A casing A is provided for the above-described endless or chain knife13. This casing is preferably made in two parts, a lower section a andan upper section a, and the casing is also preferably madelongitudinally 5o tapering, being narrowest at its grain end.

The lower section a of the casing is provided with two longitudinal ribs10, secured to-its inner surface and located parallel to the side edgesa certain distance from said edges. These ribs stop short of the endportions of the bottom section of the casing, and it may be hereremarked that the casing A. is preferably rounded at its ends.

The bottom section a of the casing is provided with a marginal flange11, which rises above the bottom surface of the section, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4, thus forming substantially a pocket between the marginalflange and the ribs 10. The upper section a of the casing is providedwith a marginal flange 13, corresponding to the flange 11.0f the lowersection aof the casing, and the upper flange 13 extends below the planeof the under face of the body of the upper section of the casing, asshown in Fig. 3. The knifeblades are adapted to pass out through thespace between the flanges 11 and 13, and these flanges are preferablybrought closer together at-the front of the casing than at the back. Theback space between the flanges is made laf'g'erjto allow for the slackin thechain or end litssknife.

Thebottom section aof the casing A is provided with guards 15 at thefront. These guards are tapering or' triangular, and one side edge ofeach guard is sharpened, so that as the blades I) pass the guards ashear cutting action is obtained. The upper section a of the casing ispreferably made in two parts, a main part 16, which extends from thegrain end to a point near the machine end of the casing, and asecondpart 17, which is at the machine end of the casing. These two parts areconnected by slides 18 on one part, which enter keepers 18, secured tothe other part, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The part 16 can thus bereadily removed and the knife inspected at any time.

The links b of the endless or chain knife B travel in the space betweenthe flanges of the 5 sections of the casing and the ribs 10,-the lowerportions of the links entering the pocket formed between the ribs 10 andthe flange 11 of the lower section a of the casing. The part 16 of theupper section a of the casing is removably attached to the lower sectiona, through-the medium of screws-or bolts 19 or their equivalents, and atthe wider or inner end of the casing A a shaft is centrally mounted,which shaft extends above the easing through a suitable bearing 21, anda sprocket-wheel 2 2 is secured on the shaft 20 within the casing A, asis illustrated in Fig. 2. The vertical shaft 20 is driven through themedlum of a shaft 23, having a pivotal coupling 24, and this shaft 23 isdriven from an y source of power on the machine proper.

Motion is conveyed from the shaft 23 to the shaft 20 through the mediumof bevel-gears 25 and 26, the gear 25 being attached to the shaft 23 andthe gear 26 to the shaft 20; but other driving mechanism may beemployed. The shaft 23 is made in the two sections illus-, trated inFig. 1, which sections are pivotally connected in order to allow thecasing A to be raised or lowered to the desired angle to the grass. Anysuitable mechanism may be employed to raise or lower the casing.

' A bolt 27 is passed through elongated slots 28 in the grain endportion of the casing A, and this bolt is provided with a suitable nut,and a pulley 29 is located on the bolt within the casing. The linksconnecting the blades with the endless chain receive the teeth of thesprocket-wheel 22, and said links likewise engage with the pulley 29.

It will be observed that as the bolt 27 is adjnstable any slack in theendless-chain knife may be taken up. A cover 30 is placed at the rearportion of the casing in order to prevent the cut grass from interferingwith the action of the knife, and a grain-board 30 is located at theouter end ofthe casing, which grain-board has a longitudinal slot 31therein, through which the blades of the knife extend, while at theinner end of the casing A a shoe or runner 32 is located. The cover 30.46" j is held in place by being sprung over the flanges 11 13 ofsections or plates a a.

It will be observed that a knife constructed V as above set forth isexceedingly edective and r r that the travel of the knife is the same atall times, since it has no centers to pass, and 1 hence there is notendency to check or slow up". j in thetravelof the knife.Anotheradvantage; consists inthefact that if anything should if happento any of the blades the upper portion of the casing may be removed andthe pins; 1 r 7 connecting the fractured parts with the links may bereadily taken out, another blade may 7 be substituted, and the pinsagain placed iii i position. Such repairs may be successfully; made byany person of ordinary intelligence, thus obviating the necessity oftaking the ma chine to a smith for such repairs. a

- Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters} Patent- The combination of the casing having upif perand lower plates or sections with flanges at their front and rear edges,said flanges being closer together than the bodies of the sec} '6 Itions, an endless-chain knife having blades 'i projecting outwardlybetween said flanges, a. cover fitted over therear flanges and the rearrun of the knife, and means for operating the" knife. i it i Intestimony whereof I have signed my 77 name to this specification in thepresence of & two subscribing witnesses. r

HERSOHEL OLDHAM.

Witnesses:

CHARLES P. MUNGER, CHARLES P. COLLINS.

